The invention relates generally to an air hose assembly, and more particularly, to a hose assembly that facilitates the transfer of preconditioned air from an air delivery system to a destination, such as an aircraft.
Prior to and after flights, aircraft often spend a considerable amount of time on the ground to load passengers, repair or replace parts, load equipment, and so forth. Electrical power is often required to support such activities. However, grounded aircraft often have their engines shut down and, therefore, are unable to provide power for electrical systems, air conditioning systems, and the like. Even when the engines are run, such as to provide control power for electronics, the air conditioning systems may not be run, or may be insufficient to cool the pilot and/or passengers, and to maintain electronics and other support equipment at desired temperatures. Accordingly, when grounded, traditional aircraft systems are temporarily connected to a variety of ground support equipment. Such equipment may be mounted on portable carts that are placed in close proximity to the grounded aircraft or may be built into a terminal, passenger boarding bridge, or hangar. Ground support equipment typically includes an air conditioning unit capable of providing conditioned air to maintain the aircraft electronics, pilots, passenger cabins, equipment, and so forth at desired temperatures.
To supply conditioned air to a parked aircraft from an external preconditioned air source (e.g., ground support equipment, pits, rafters, etc.), the aircraft must be connected to the preconditioned air source via a duct or hose. Such air hoses can be rather large to accommodate the necessary airflow to control the environment in a large aircraft. In addition, because the aircraft cannot always be brought into close proximity with the preconditioned air source, some hoses must be quite long. Accordingly, these hoses are often outfitted with coatings or glues to prevent air leakage as the conditioned air is transferred along the length of the hose to the aircraft. However, current systems often disrupt the flow of conditioned air, resulting in air leakage that reduces the efficiency of the conditioned air transfer. Moreover, the construction of conventional air conduits for aircraft typically includes many stitched components that simply do not avoid leaking, and that may leak considerably.
In some systems, such as high performance aircraft, electronics may require special cooling, and closed loop air conditioner control may be used. Depending upon the temperature requirements, such systems may demand considerable air flow, resulting in relatively higher pressures than other systems. Existing air conduits are simply unable to withstand such pressures, particularly given their sewn construction.
Accordingly, there exists a need for systems that address this problem.